To Shop or Not to Shop?
This was suppose to be our year. We celebrated New Year’s Eve believing 2020 held something special for us. Unfortunately a microscopic virus had other plans.
Shopping during a global pandemic takes on a new perspective. First we need to ask ourselves, “Is it safe?”, “Can I breathe in a mask?” Retail stores have policies in place to keep you and their staff safe. Many stores continually disinfect surface areas and fitting rooms throughout the day. While the safety of customers is incredibly important, one sick employee can shut down a business for weeks and no company can afford that. If you don’t feel comfortable going out, you can shop online from the safety of your favorite chair or flip through the catalog and call your local store.
Second, with great disappointment, we say things like “I don’t need this. I’m not going anywhere.”, “I have clothes in my closet with the tags still on them.”, or “Most of the clothes I already have I didn’t even get to wear.” These statements may be true but, that’s not the point.
If your income has been diminished or removed, no, you do not need to be shopping right now, but if your income has been relatively stable during this time, I want you to think of shopping in another way: What do you normallydo?
Today we all want to capture a feeling of normal; how life used to be “before”. We want to go where we want when we want and without a mask. We want to hug people, stand next to people, visit with people and never hear the phrase “social distancing” again. Shopping is something we normally do so it’s important that you continue doing so. If you normally buy clothes for church, even if your services are now online, buy church clothes. If you normally buy clothes for vacations, even though we’re staying home, get something for a trip. If you are working from home until it’s safe to go back to the office, keep your wardrobe up to date. No doubt the change of seasons would motorized your credit card so go for it. The value of your purchase lies in how normal it makes you feel. Don’t worry about where, when, or how you’re going to wear it. What’s important is that you take a step in the direction of what you normally do.
If you want your favorite store to still be in business when this is over, you need to support them now. Sales have never been better because they are moving pre-Covid, quarantine, post-quarantine and new seasonal merchandise. Visit or call your local store and ask them how you can help them stay open. They will probably say something like: SHOP!
